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Overbay, Boesch homer off Dickey, Yanks sweep Jays

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer

Posted:
04/28/2013 03:46:38 PM EDT

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New York Yankees' Travis Hafner (33) greets teammate Lyle Overbay, right, who runs past Toronto Blue Jays catcher Henry Blanco, center, after hitting a two-run home run off starting pitcher R.A. Dickey in the seventh inning of a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, April 28, 2013, in New York.

NEW YORK—Lyle Overbay sent a knuckleball from R.A. Dickey into the right field bullpen for a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning that was caught on the fly by Yankees reliever David Robertson, and New York beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Sunday for a four-game sweep.

Brennan Boesch homered in the second off Dickey (2-4), pitching in New York for the first time since getting his 20th win for the New York Mets last September.

Dickey allowed a single to Overbay later in the second, then retired 13 of his next 14 batters around a walk. Travis Hafner singled leading off the seventh and, with two outs, Overbay hit his third home run of the season—one more than his total last year.

Boone Logan (1-1) pitched a one-hit seventh, Robertson threw a 1-2-3 eighth and Mariano Rivera finished for his ninth save in nine chances, extending his career record to 617.

Dealt by the Mets after going 20-3 and winning the NL Cy Young Award, Dickey already has lost more games this year than in all of 2012. He allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings, with four strikeouts and a walk, throwing about 90 percent knucklers.

Last-place Toronto gave up just four hits Sunday but was swept in a four-game series in which it led every game for the first time since Sept. 19-21, 1995, at old Yankee Stadium. The Blue Jays were 4 for 24 with runners in scoring position in the series and struck out 37 times, including 13 Sunday.

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Winless in his first five starts for the first time since 2008, Hughes allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings with a season-high nine strikeouts and one walk. Toronto ran up his pitch count, fouling off 25 of 111 offerings.

He was given a lead for the first time this season when Boesch homered into the first row of the right field seats, when the ball hit a fan's hands, bounced off his chest, back off his hands and then to the ground. Dickey seemed to know the drive would carry; he didn't even turn around at first to see where it would land.

Toronto tied the score in the fourth on consecutive two-out singles by Edwin Encarnacion, Melky Cabrera and Adam Lind, who came off the paternity list Sunday.

Jose Bautista struck out in first two at-bats, extending his slump to 3 for 25, then doubled leading off the sixth. Hughes struck out Encarnacion and Cabrera and intentionally walked Lind. Bautista stole third and Maicer Izturis doubled off the base of the right field wall for a 2-1 lead. Hughes fanned Henry Blanco to end the inning.

NOTES: Toronto LHP Ricky Romero allowed one run and six hits over seven innings Saturday night in his season debut for Class A Dunedin against Brevard County in the Florida State League. A 2011 All-Star, Romero started the season in the minor leagues to work on his mechanics. ... Blue Jays SS Munenori Kawasaki sprinted nearly 100 feet to make an over-the-should grab in the fourth on Travis Hafner pop down the left-field line. After receiving congratulations in the dugout at the end on the inning, Kawasaki did a quick dance. ... Yankees CF Brett Gardner was left out of the starting lineup for the first time this season. He entered the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth.

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